Uzungöl Lake, Haldizen Valley and High Yayla Pastures (Lustra & Karester)

Ninety-five kilometres south-east of Trabzon (1 hour 25 minutes by road), the coastal highway turns inland at Of and climbs along the roaring Solaklı River into a steep, V-shaped alpine gorge walled in by 2,500-metre peaks covered in dense Oriental spruce (ladin) forests. At 1,090 metres above sea level, a prehistoric mountain landslide blocked the Haldizen Stream, creating the one-kilometre-long emerald lake of Uzungöl ("Long Lake").

How to Experience Uzungöl at Its Best (Skip the Crowds, Go Up)

Here is the honest truth about Uzungöl: while the lake and its landmark white twin-minaret mosque reflected in the water are sweeping, the flat shoreline road directly around the lake has become heavily built up with wooden hotels and souvenir cafes in July and August. To experience the true, peaceful alpine beauty of Uzungöl, follow these three local steps:

1. Arrive early and climb the Uzungöl Observation Terrace (Seyir Terası): at the south-eastern end of the lake (just behind the historic wooden Filak bridge), climb the wooden forest staircase (or drive 3 minutes up the hairpin road) to the hillside viewing platforms 150 metres above the valley floor. From here, the entire emerald lake, the mosque and the misty spruce walls of the Haldizen canyon align in a single postcard frame without a car in sight.
2. Walk Upstream Along the Haldizen Valley (Behind the Lake): walk twenty minutes east past the upper end of the lake where the icy, crystal-clear Haldizen Stream tumbles over granite boulders between artificial trout ponds and quiet wooden bridges.
3. Ascend 20 Minutes Above the Lake to Lustra & Karester Yaylası (2,250m) or Demirkapı (Haldizen): from the Uzungöl square, hop into one of the local 4x4 highland minibuses (or drive on the paved/gravel mountain road) that climb for 25 minutes straight above the treeline onto the alpine meadow ridge of Karester Yaylası (2,250 metres elevation). Up here among traditional unpainted timber herders' huts and grazing cows, you look straight down through parting clouds onto Uzungöl 1,100 metres below you. Alternatively, continue 16 km further up the valley floor past traditional wooden granaries (serender) to the glacial lakes of Balıklıgöl and Aygır Gölü at 2,700 metres.

How to Get to Uzungöl Without a Car

Direct Çaykara / Uzungöl minibuses depart every 30 to 40 minutes from the Çömlekçi / Pazarkapı Minibus Hub below Meydan in central Trabzon, stopping along the coastal road (including outside the airport and Yomra hotels) and reaching Uzungöl lakefront in 90 minutes.